This article focuses on the symbolical meaning of the concept of a dog in the works of Serhii Zhadan,
mainly in “Internat” and “Mesopotamia”. We can find this symbol as a synonym for “street”, frequently
used as an epithet for Zhadan’s characters.
The most important feature of the symbol of a dog is its ambivalence: it arises not only marking the
hero of a novel but also as a sign that tells us that something evil will happen. The dog symbol is a symbol
of death, as we can see it from “Mesapotamia” and “Internat”, where this correlation is the most obvious. There are two scenes in these books that in both cases illustrate the same theme, although with different ending. In “Mesopotamia”, the hero faces a bunch of outraged dogs that are ready to attack, but
a woman rescues him. In “Internat’s” culmination, the hero tries to run away from dogs and death in his
imagination and also in real life, and eventually succeeds.
We can find the roots of such symbolism in mythology and folklore. The dog has always been a symbol
of a friend, on the one hand, and something demonic, on the other.
What is more, we should not forget about the connection between the symbol of a wolf and that of a
dog, for they are sometimes very close. For instance, in folklore, the wolf has had a meaning of something
that is behind the world of the living and has a connection to dead people, which corresponds perfectly
with the symbol of the deathly dogs in “Internat”.
In addition, a wolf in Slavic mythology signifies a foreign creature, the Others. The opposition of Self
and the Other, which divides the world into “Mine” and “Foreign”, is crucial for understanding Serhii
Zhadan’s novels. This opposition is also connected to the maleness and abandonment of his heroes.
To sum up, the symbol of a dog in Zhadan’s works is ambivalent. It can be interpreted as a symbol of
death and something mysterious, and also a concept important for a “Mine/Foreign” opposition.